Number of teleserials, film releases falling in Bengal due to political interference: Roopa Ganguly

Kolkata, Nov 24 (PTI) Asserting that peace and coexistence must prevail in the arena of art and culture, actor and former BJP Rajya Sabha member Roopa Ganguly on Monday claimed that the number of teleserials and film releases in West Bengal has been continuously decreasing.

Alleging interference by some people owing allegiance to the ruling dispensation in the state in deciding the number of technicians involved in teleserial productions, she said many unit hands are being compelled to seek work in neighbouring states.

"There is a need for peace in the arena of art and culture. Why are the number of teleserials regularly decreasing in the state, and why are movie releases in cinema halls going down?” she asked at a press conference at the BJP office here.

Maintaining that directors or producers no longer have the freedom to decide who or how many people will work as technicians or artistes in a production, Ganguly said, "This was never the situation earlier." "An artiste's political identity is left behind outside the set and he or she is only an actor or a technician during work," she said.

Ganguly alleged that production houses are being forced to shut down due to spiralling costs brought on by a larger workforce being imposed on them.

"There never used to be any conflict between an actor and a technician," she said, adding, "But this world has changed owing to political influence." Holding that the industry wants to be freed from "such a situation", she said that industry people are having to move courts for justice.

"The BJP will bring change to such a situation where actors and technicians will not have conflicts among each other anymore," Ganguly added. PTI AMR MNB